The present invention relates to a urinal for use by females.
Female public toilets are infamous for their long queues often caused by females applying make up in the cubicles, chatting or sharing cubicles. Females also often have less urinating facilities than men because their toilets require more space than traditional male urinals. This can cause problems especially at concerts, the theatre, museums or any public site including outdoor events and concerts when there is only a limited time to go to the toilet without having to miss part of the show.
Another problem with female public toilets are that they are often thought of as unhygienic because the females have to sit on a prior used and potentially contaminated seat. As a result many females using these toilets often adopt a horizontal squatting position, where the female""s thighs are generally horizontal to the ground. In so doing they try to avoid contact with the seat. This can lead to problems of spraying on to the seat thus contaminating the seat for subsequent users. Disposable seat covers are sometimes available but they are not popular, partly because they are made from paper and so are not an adequate defence to stop bacterial contamination of a female""s bottom nor do they stop any moisture travelling through the paper onto the female""s bottom.
In many countries there are water shortages. Sit down conventional toilets use between 7 and 9 litres of water per flush. In public toilets men are provided with urinals which are less wasteful of water.
In some countries, public toilets are provided in the form of open holes in the ground enclosed by cubicles. The user straddles the hole, usually by placing their feet on blocks raised off the floor. The user then adopts a heel squatting position, where the body is self-supported by the user""s thighs resting on the calves, before urinating or defecating into the hole. In the heel squatting position the user is in a relatively comfortable and stable position to urinate or defecate.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,940 there is disclosed a sanitary fixture comprising an elongate flexible hose which has a urine collecting funnel at its top end and its bottom end is in communication with a water-holding bowl that is flushed by a siphoning action. A sanitary cuff lines the rim of the funnel so that the funnel does not contact the body of the user. The female user places the funnel under her urethra and urinates into it. Accordingly, the females"" legs are in a straight leg position, that is where her legs are substantially straight without significant flexing at the knees, and slightly placed apart. This position is to be likened with that typically adopted by males while urinating.
After urination the funnel is placed into a hanger member which ejects the sanitary cuff after use. The problem with this device is that the female may contaminate her hand or the outside of the funnel while urinating and subsequent users must touch the funnel without it being cleaned.
An object of this invention is to provide a hygienic device for females who only wish to urinate, thus allowing a greater turnover of females than in traditional toilets and which reduces the amount of water per user.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a female urinal comprising a body having a connection portion for attachment to a support, a receiving portion at the remote end from the support into which a female urinates, and a narrower portion interposed therebetween which is relatively narrower than the receiving portion.
Users of the arrangement defined above adopt a bow-legged position instead of sitting down. As such, they cannot tarry and therefore there is a greater turnover of users. Also, it is possible to have a greater number of female urinals in the same space as a conventional toilet because such urinals are narrower and only require half-stall enclosures. As the urinal is only used for urinating into, the amount of water used in each flush can be reduced significantly.
The support can be moveable, for example on wheels, so that it can be used at temporary venues such as outdoor concerts.
In preferred embodiments, the receiving portion is generally cup shaded. The cup shape can encompass a large number of plan shapes, for example circles, ovals, rectangles, squares and elongated shapes.
Conveniently, the narrower portion comprises a leg locating portion for enabling the female to be astride that portion whilst urinating. In use, the female user pulls her panties aside or down to her ankles and then shuffles towards the urinal. She positions herself at the leg locating portion which is shaped in order that her legs are not spread too widely apart. The female user then bends her knees slightly into a bow-legged position so that her urethra is positioned over the receiving portion. Preferably the leg locating portion has a breadth of between 5 and 25 cm.
Preferably, the rim of the receiving portion overhangs the inside of the receiving portion. As such when urinating, any urine which may have a tendency to splash back when it hits the base or the side of the receiving portion, will not do so, thus avoiding splashes on to the urinating female, on to the outside of the receiving portion or on to the floor. In a preferred embodiment the breadth of the receiving portion is between 8 and 30 cm.
Conveniently, the overhang comprises one or more outlets. In preferred embodiments there are a plurality of outlets around the rim. These outlets can, for example, spray out jets of water which wash away the urine thus cleaning the urinal after use.
Preferably, a spillage collection groove is provided around at least part of the outer periphery of the receiving portion.
Conveniently, the spillage collection groove is sloped towards the narrower portion to connect to an inlet into the interior of the receiving portion.
The groove on the outer surface of the receiving portion is used to collect any splashes which run down the outside of the receiving portion. As the groove is sloped downwards the urine naturally runs to the lowest part where an inlet allows the urine to enter the receiving portion. Outlets can be placed at highest point of the groove which results in the groove being cleaned simultaneously with the rest of the receiving portion.
In one embodiment, the connection means includes an adjustable support wherein, in use, the height of the urinal can be altered. Females can vary considerably in their height, especially for example girls and female adults. With an adjustable support the female urinal can be placed at a different height suitable for the height of the user.
Preferably the height of the base of the receiving portion from the base of the support is 15-40 cm and the height of the rim of the receiving portion from the base of the support is 30-50 cm. Preferably the length of the female urinal is up to 120 cm.
Preferably the traddling portion is arranged in use to afford space for the location of the user""s thighs.
In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a female urinal comprising a body having a connection portion for attachment to a support, a receiving portion at the remote end from the support into which a female urinates, and a straddling portion interposed therebetween; wherein the distance of the receiving portion from the straddling portion is greater than or substantially equal to the width at the straddling portion.
As female users adopt a bow-legged position instead of sitting down when using the urinal defined above, they cannot tarry and therefore there is a greater turnover of users. It is possible to have a greater number of female urinals in the same space as a toilet because they are narrower and only require half-stall enclosures. As the urinal is only used for urinating into the amount of water used in each flush can be reduced significantly.
The support can be moveable, for example on wheels, so that it can be used at temporary venues such as outdoor concerts.
Preferably the receiving portion and the straddling portion together form a trough. While a female is urinating the urine will freely run down the trough to an area where a drainage means is provided.
Conveniently the straddling portion comprises a leg locating portion which has a relatively narrower width than the remainder of the trough. The relatively narrow leg locating portion means that females who are wearing tight undergarments or trousers do not have problems straddling or adopting a bow-legged position over the urinal.
In this respect, in the context of the present invention the thigh is defined as any part of the leg from the groin to the knee.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a female urinal comprising a body having a connection portion for attachment to a support, a receiving portion at the remote end From the support and a straddling portion interposed therebetween; wherein, in use, the straddling portion is located at a sufficient distance from the receiving portion in order that the urethra of the user, when straddling the urinal, is positioned over the receiving portion.
Conveniently, in use, the user faces the support.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a female urinal comprising a body having a connection portion for attachment to a support, a receiving portion at the remote end from the support into which a female urinates, and a thigh straddling portion interposed therebetween; wherein the distance of the receiving portion from the thigh straddling portion is greater than or substantially equal to the width at the straddling portion.
Preferably the thigh straddling portion has a relatively narrower width than the remainder of the female urinal.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a female urinal comprising a body having a connection portion for attachment to a support, a receiving portion at the remote end from the support into which a female urinates and a straddling portion interposed therebetween; wherein the distance of the inside surface of the most remote point of the receiving portion from the support is greater than or substantially equal to the width at the straddling portion.
Conveniently the straddling portion is a thigh straddling portion, i.e a portion where the thighs of a user can straddle the urinal.
In a preferred embodiment the straddling portion is a leg locating portion, i.e where the legs of a user can straddle the urinal.
Preferably the straddling portion has a relatively narrower width than the remainder of the female urinal.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention there is provided a female urinal comprising a body having a connection portion for attachment to a support, a receiving portion at the remote end from the support and a straddling portion interposed therebetween; wherein the urinal is configured to encourage a user to adopt a bow-legged straddling stance facing the support, with the user""s urethra positioned above the receiving portion.